Fishing casting gun



Feb. 9, 1960 R. w. McswAm 2,924,211

FISHING CASTING GUN Filed Aug. 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 6

rnnnnnnhes V Ralph M McSwain INVENTOR.

BY My-M Feb. 9, 1960 R. w. McSWAlN FISHING CASTING sun 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 21, 1957 mu NK ww mm INVENTOR.

United tates Patent ce, g ,fffiffil},

FISHING CASTING GUN Ralph W. McSwain, Sunland, Calif. Application August 21, 1957, Serial No. 679,362

4 Claims. (Cl. 124-11) This invention relates to a fishing device and more particularly to a casting gun for ejecting fishing tackle, for example a fishhook, lure, sinker and combination thereof An object of the invention is to provide a fishing casting gun which enables casting to be achieved by power firing the fishhook, lure, etc. The gun makes use of commercially available carbon dioxide bottles. The gas discharged from such a bottle is directed to a piston in the gun and this piston forcibly ejects the tackle from a tackle holder at the front end of the gun. Accordingly, the fishing casting gun finds wide application with those who are incapable of casting for physical disabling causes or who would prefer to cast by means of a power operated gun. Moreover, the casting gun will enable a person to cast safely from a crowded place, for example, a pier or some other popular spot.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a practical portable gun from which various types of fishing tackle may be cast. The gun utilizes gas under pressure from a carbon dioxide bottle. However, the gas is held trapped in a chamber until that chamber receives pressure to a predetermined level. Thereafter the trigger of the gun is pulled enabling the piston which forms a wall of the chamber to be forcibly moved toward the outer end of the barrel. Automatically, the source of gas under pressure is closed so that there will be a negligible waste of gas.

In the gun described above, there are certain refinements which constitute features of my invention. One is the capability of adjusting the size of the chamber so that the casting projectory may be increased or decreased by a greater volumetric or lesser volumetric capacity of the chamber.

Another feature of my invention is the recoil mechanism at the end of the barrel. This is constructed of a spring against which the piston bears when the piston reaches the outer end of its travel. This recoil mechanism not only attenuates the shock in the gun but also is capable of automatically resetting the piston in the cocked or chamber closing position.

Other objects and features of importance such as the simplicity of construction and the cleanness with which the gun is engineered, will become evident in following the description.

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a gun constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the gun in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gun in Figure 2, and taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, the parts in the gun being in the cocked position with the trigger about to be pulled;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the construction in Figure 3 showing the positions of the parts just as the tackle is being ejected from the tackle holder at the forward end of the gun;

Figure 5 is a front view of a modified tackle holder,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the gun having the modified form of the tackle holder;

Figure 7 is a front view of a further modification of the tackle holder.

Gun 10 exemplifies the principles of the invention. This gun is constructed of a frame or body 12 which may be of lightweight metal, plastic, wood or any other material. The frame or bod y has a handle 14 at one end and what might be considered a barrel 16 at the opposite end. Handle 14 has a gas bottle chamber 18 in which a carbon dioxide bottle 20 is adapted to seat. The carbon dioxide bottle schematically represents any kind of gas which is in bottle form and which is commercially available at the present time to power toys, to be used in connection with surgical equipment and in many other capacities. One end of chamber 18 is closed by plug 22 which is screw-threaded in that end of the chamber. A spring loaded plunger 24 is in plug 22 and has a pointed end 26 which is adapted to pierce the end of bottle 20 in order to open it. As soon as the bottle is opened, the plunger is returned by the gas pressure in chamber 18. In so returning the plunger 24, it seals the passage 28 in the plug 22 within which the plunger is operable. Passageway 30 is at the opposite end of chamber 18 and is in registry with an intersecting passageway 32 whose end is closed by plug 33. Passageway 32 has an orifice 34 at its'end and the orifice registers passageway 32 with gas chamber 36.

Chamber 36 is formed in the handle 14 and is arranged generally parallel to the chamber 18. Piston 38 is substantially freely slidable in chamber 36 and has a guide 40 at its outer end to assure that the piston will. slide into the reduced end 42 of the chamber 36. Spring 48 is disposed-in chamber 36 and seats on one end of the piston 38. The opposite end of the spring seats upon an adjustable seat that includes plate 50. Screw 52 is adjustably disposed in plug 54, this plug being at the outer end of chamber 36. The screw, plate 50, spring 48 and piston 38 constitute means by which the effective volume of chamber 36 may be adjusted. Obviously, this adjusts the trajectory of the fishing tackle 56 that is ejected from holder 58 at the outer end of the barrel 16.

Piston 60 is axially slidable disposed in the bore 62 of barrel 16. It, like the other pistons and plunger 24, is provided with piston rings where it is necessary from an engineering standpoint. Piston rod 64 is attached to the piston 60 and is made in two pieces. The inner part 66 is attached directly to the piston '60, while the outer end 68 is threaded in an internally threaded bore at the outer end of the inner part 66.

A recoil mechanism 70 is mounted in the outer end of the bore 62. The recoil mechanism consists of a spring 72 disposed in a counterbore 74 of bore 62. One end is seated on a guide 76 inthe counterbore and through which the piston rod 62 is passed. The opposite end of the spring is seated on a hollow plug 78 in the outer extremity of the counterbore 74. The guide 76 forms an abutment against which the outer end surface 80 of the piston 60 abuts during the operation of the gun.

Trigger 82 is mounted for pivotal movement on pin 84. The trigger is in a trigger slot 86 that is formed in the frame of the gun. A bore 88 is formed in the frame of the gun and opens into the barrel bore 62. Spring 90 whose compression is adjustable by plug 92 in bore 88, bears against the sear 94 that is axially slidable in bore 88. There is a notch 96 at the upper end of the sear 94 and it engages with the front surface 80 of piston 60 to hold that piston in a cocked position (Figure 3). However when the trigger 82 is pivotally operated, the end of the trigger bearing against a shoulder on the sear 94, moves the sear against the resilient opposition of spring 90 and releases notch 96 from engagement with the end surface or wall 80 of the piston 60.

As disclosed in Figures 1-4, the tackle holder 58 is constructed of a receptacle that has a forwardlypppening pocket 98 within which the fishing tackle 56 of any type is adapted. to seat... .The line 100- withwhich thetackle is connected, is wrapped around the forward end of the part 68 of the piston rod and proceeds rearwardly to the fisherman who handles-itLinianywayhe pleasea Itfl-is'hp'referred that the forward end part 68 be forwardly and inwardly tapered so that the 'line 100 will-have=no diffi'culty in unwinding. Pocket 98 may belduplicated as shown in the embodiment of Figure 7. InFigure-T a tackle holder modification in which there are 'two-pockets-lM and 106 to supply the fisherman with a selection. In either case the lower wall 108 ot Figure 7 has a forwardly opening recess 114 and lowet v'vall 110 has a forwardly opening recess 116 within which the"fishing leaders are' received- As shown in Figures -.-7; the front part 68fof "the'piston' rod-.64 may be omitted-and: the fishing-tackle holder-120' attached directly tothe inner part- 66 of the piston-rod;

One: manner of: attachment would be to have a threaded boref122 in the. top part of the'holcler 100 in'stead Ufa passagethrough which the part 68.of-*the piston rod-is passed; Then a threaded-dowel 126 ora likemechanical expedient may be used inconnecting'the holder 1'20-to the piston rod 64. As seen in Figure 5, the holder-120 has a forwardly opening recess 128 in its bottom' wallso that fishing leaders from the tackle in pocket 132 may fall uninterfered with'downwardly. V i

In operation a bottle is slipped into thecharhben 18 and after replacingplug-ZZ the plunger 24is struck'with the palm of the hand in order to pierce the frangible-end of the bottle22. This charges the passageways and 32 with gas under pressure from chamber 18. Thegas passes through pressurereducing orifice 34.and enters the pressure chamber 36. This moves the piston 38 against thecompressive force of spring 48 and the location of the piston for a given pressure in chamber 36 may be adjusted by adjusting the screw 52.

It is assumed that the tackle is placed in the tackle holder at thistime. Then after aiming-the fishermanpulls trigger 82 and releases sear 94 from the piston 60: The gasin chamber 36 is spendby forcibly pushingthepiston 60 forwardrin barrel bore-62. When-the end surface 80 of thepiston strikes the guide 76 to bring the recoil-mecha nism into action, the contents of holder58* are'ejected frompocket98 and if a line 100 is used on the piston rod, e

it is unwound.

During the movement of thepiston towaid'the-recoil mechanism 70, air on the upstream side or the pistontring 140 ofpiston 60, isexpelled through the hole or vent 142 in the barrel and which opens into the barrel bore" 62. At the-time that the gas isibeing spent in pushingthe piston 60 toward the recoil mechanism g the spring48 moves piston .38 forwardly in the chamber 36 and-the combinationof two conditions exists. The firstis that the piston 38 closesthe pressure reducing orifice 34 and the second isthat by virtue of the presence of the-pressure' reducer, the gas isspentinchamber 36 much quicker than the gas can be dissipated through the pressure-reducing orifice 34. Howeventhe movement of the piston 38-is so fast in' the pressure. chamber 36 that the closing of orifice 34 is practically instantaneous with the firing of thetacklefrom pocket 98. i i

. The gun can be manually cocked by pushing the'piston to the innermost position of barre1bore62i'n which position the. sear 94 will be snapped to the-gun cocked p'osi tion by the. action of spring- 90. On theother'hand; the

recoil mechanism will-return the piston 60 enabling it-to' ride overrthe front; cam, surface= 1'50of"the seat 94 and. the spring to-snap the sear-into the piston 60- inlocking position. When th'e piston 60 is ina forwardmo'st position that is, theposition at which the recoil'mecha'nism is com? pressed (Figure 4) the vent 142 is in' registry with the bore, 62 behind the: piston 60 to enable the exhaust or any pressure; between piston 38 and the piston 60. Accord? ,ingly, ether pistonefifl can" return without substantial opposition.

\ It is understood that various changes may bemade withoutdeparting from thefollowing claims.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A fishing casting gun comprising a gun body that has a source of gas under pressure, a pressure chamber, the gun body having 'a barrel provided with a bore communicated with saidipressure'chamben; a =piston slidably disposed in saidbore,,a recoil mechanism insaid barrel and against which said'piston is adapted to act, a fishing tackle holder, a piston rod attached to said? pistonandto which said tackle holder. is secured, said tackle holder being adapted to hold tackle and 'eject the same when said piston strikes said recoil mechanism, a trigger carried by said frame, a scar retaining said piston in a cocked position, means operatively connecting saidtrigger with said sear to-withdraw, said .s'efarifromengflg'ment with said piston so that thegas under pressure in said charhber can forcibly push said piston toward'said recoilmechani'sm, a pressure reducingorifice between said sourceof gas under pressure and said pressurecharnber, a piston in said pressure chamher and adapted to move to a position to close said orifice when the gas is being spent in said chamber, and resilient means reacting on the piston insaid chamber to provide a yielding seat againstwhich'the' last mentioned pi'ston is moved bythe gas under pressure and'to move saidpiston tothe' orifice closing position when the gas pressure is reduced'insaid chamber thereby reducing the pressure on said piston and'said resilient means.

2. A fishing casting gun comprising a gun body that has a source offgas under p'ressure,,a pressurechamber, the gun body having a barrel providedwithabore communicated with said pressure chamber, a pistonslidably disposed in said bore, a recoil mechanism ,insaid barrel and. against which said piston is adapted'toacna fishing tackle holder, a piston rod attached to said piston and to which said tackle holder is secured, said' tackleholder being adapted to hold tackle and eject the samewhen said piston strikes saidlrecoil mechanism, a trigger carried by said frame, a sear retaining said, pistonin a cocked position, means operatively conneting saidtrigger with said sear to withdraw said sear from engagement with. said piston so that the gas under pressure in said chamber can forcibly pushsaidpistontoward said recoilzme'chanisrn, a pressure reducing orifice between saidlsource of gas underpressure and. said', pressure chamber, a, piston. in said pressure chamber rneans. for moving: said. piston to. a position to close said. orifice. when.thel gas" is. being spent .in said chamber and including a spring reacting on thepiston in said chamber to provide ayieldingseat against which the lastmentioned. piston -is=moved by the gas under; pressure manuallyradjustable meanscarried bythe gun body and reacting, on said resilientmeans toadjustthevolume of i said chamber and thereby regulatethe trajectory of the tackle that is discharged from said holder.

3. The fishing casting gun ofclaim 1. and said resilient means comprising a spring disposed in said chamber and havingone end. incontact with said last mentioned piston,

a movable seat in said chamber, means connected with said movable seat to adjust the position of said seatwithin said chamber, and the oppositeend of saidspringqbeing disposed on said movable seat.

; .4, The fishing; casting gun of claim '1 wherein said tackle holderLincludesan. inner elongate part movable in said boregfsaid recoil mechanism'including a spring dis posed in said=boreand having a passageway' through, which saidtelongate part of'said tackle holder is movable,

saidsear having a smoothly curved part facing'said'recoil mechanism and said recoil'rnechanism spring being sufficiently strong to return the said first mentioned piston 7 tdthe-topposition the rounded part ofsaid sear camming against a part of said first mentioned piston to facilitate the return of said piston to said cocked position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Kronhaus et a1. Aug. 5, 1952 Bradfield July 26, 1955 Ferrando et a1 Feb. 28, 1956 Thomsen Ian. 29, 1957 Colling et a1. Feb. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS France Apr. 22, 1953 

